Gearing up for the Kielder Vintage and Classic Vehicle Show

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The Kielder Vintage and Classic Vehicle Show goes from strength to strength and this year over 140 vehicles have entered to attend on Sunday 11 May. This will be the 8th year of the event which is held at the Forestry Commission’s Kielder Castle visitor centre, within Kielder Water and Forest Park.

As well as the show, a road run will take place on Saturday 10 May, with over 40 vehicles departing from the Heritage Centre at Bellingham for a unique and scenic fifty mile run around the Borders, ending at the Kielder Castle visitor centre. This follows on from the successful inaugural road run last year.

Wesley Turnbull, the show’s organiser said

“We’re all looking forward to this year’s show. It’s going to be a fantastic turn out with some really interesting vehicles on display this year including a Mk I Ford Transit and a 1960s Ford Thames 400e Pickup, not to mention some great old tractors and fantastic motorbikes. The road run promises to be a great spectacle again too, with over 40 classic vehicles driving through the beautiful scenery of both Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.”

The vehicles will be on display in the Kielder Castle car park, with a variety of trade stands in the grounds. The Castle was the former hunting lodge for the Duke of Northumberland until the end of the World War Two, when it then became the headquarters of the Forestry Commission until they relocated to Bellingham when Kielder Water was built.

Spectators can enjoy the variety of cars, tractors, motorcycles and commercial vehicles as well as being given the opportunity to enjoy the scenery on a return journey alongside Kielder Water in an ex-RAF Commer Bus from the 1930s.

A slice of Forestry Commission history will be on display at the show, with one of the original Commission vehicles, an Austin A35 van, which has been carefully restored and brought back to its gleaming former glory.

Andrea Trager from the Forestry Commission said

“The show is always one of the highlights of the year at Kielder Castle and it’s always lovely to see the old Austin on show in the courtyard. It’s a real talking point with many visitors. It’ll be a great day out for visitors and there’s plenty to do if you’re spending the day there, with our walking and biking trails to explore and the Kielder Castle Café for a pit stop through the day.”

The road run on 10 May departs at 11am from Bellingham Heritage Centre.

The Vintage and Classic Vehicle Show on 11 May opens at 11am and finishes at 4 pm.

1. The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment. The North England Forest District looks after forests in Cumbria, the Lancashire, Northumbria, Tyne and Wear and County Durham.